Casablanca (1942)

*SPOILER FREE

They say it's all fair in love and war, but... "you must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh, the fundamental things apply, as time goes by."

Is Casablanca the greatest film ever made? Mmm.. what makes a film a great film? And what makes a great film a classic?

I wonder if I could ask any adult person living anywhere in the world in the year 1942 who has access to a movie theater, why would you go to the movies, what would their answer be? In a world with no stimulating technology and internet, where one gets their news through unsophisticated old-fashioned tools that for the most part are about the war and the ever-changing equation of power, where one outcome might mean they're staying in their home in peace and prosperity, and another outcome means their fate is doomed and their very life is at stake.

The first word that comes to mind is hope. A hope that love and good will triumph at the end. One might say comfort, a glimpse of consolation and compassion that eases the brutality of war. Another might add, time away, a song, a smile away from the hustling of life.

This unhappiness that I might have made you feel in the past two paragraphs is not very distinct from so many people's realities today, and actually the world hasn't changed much since then. We have come along way with science and technology, yes, we immensely transformed and advanced in the way we film a story that we create footage that looks better on screen than in real life... Yet, the stories that we film are still as devastating, so many people are still living under unspeakable circumstances, and the wrongness of the world still goes on.

After all, cinema as an art form comes in with solace, with an abundance of healing and hope for a better tomorrow, and reassurance that however long the dark shadows prevail, the light is inevitable.

Casablanca is romantic drama film. Filmed and set during WWII. Following Rick, an American cynic who owns a salon (Café) in unoccupied French Morocco, and his struggle to decide whether to put his love or the greater good of the world first.

So what makes Casablanca an all-time masterpiece? Is it that it's still so relevant today? Is it the commonalities one might have with its leading characters? Or is it the exuberance that transcends time? "Round up" all.

Casablanca is an art that can be what you need it to be. It's a folk tale of morality, a sentimental poem about love and passion, a fight between idealism and cynicism. Casablanca is a reminder that... "it's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case do die, the world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by."

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Available to watch, rent/buy on HBO Max and on Prime Video

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